I recently read an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal describing President Biden as the Democrat’s “weakest presidential nominee in decades” and in “disturbing decline”. Not only did this piece make me question the choices that were made in the selection of the Wall Street Journal editorial board members (the author of that opinion piece is a long-time member), but it also caused me to consider the many different ways that Joe Biden is currently viewed. To me he is one of our greatest elder statesmen, wingman to President Obama, a successful and respected Senator for 36 years. He is also a humble public servant and man of great empathy, who has seen immense tragedy and been able to turn those events into lessons of how to connect to people going through the difficult days that we now see. The manner in which he embraced the office of Vice President, supporting President Obama but never bridling at the nature of that office, speaks volumes on the character of the man.
The author of that WSJ piece tells us to not “forget the economy, or crime, or foreign-policy messes” that the President has apparently inflicted on the country. I beg to differ. I see murder rates that are down 12.2% over last year, and a leader who has guided the nation through one of the most fraught foreign policy crises since WW2. President Biden has walked a tightrope between aggravating the Russians with delivery of long-range weapons and fighter jets, which could start a wider conflict with potentially grave consequences, and allowing an aggressor nation to invade a peaceful neighbor with no consequences, which could lead to bad outcomes from Taiwan to Eastern Europe and beyond.
I would argue one of the most remarkable outcomes of the Biden administration so far has been the continued resilience of the US economy. For the last 18 months, most economists have predicted a recession, with some forecasting a painful, protracted pullback with spiking unemployment putting millions out of work. Instead, unemployment is continuing at historic lows across all job sectors, with inflation also dropping back to 3.2%. This remarkable performance is surely partly attributable to the steady hand of the Federal Reserve and Jerome Powell, but should be also seen to be a direct outcome of the Biden administration policies, particularly the Inflation Reduction Act. Not only has it actually provided exactly what the name implies (which was widely mocked at the time) but has started providing myriad benefits in red as well as blue states. To a union member, the IRA is a jobs bill, providing millions of dollars for new jobs across the country (and actually disproportionately benefitting red states). To a climate activist, it is a climate change bill, promoting green energy investments for both industry and American families. To an America first patriot it is a protectionist act, guaranteeing that those new jobs are mostly supplied by American firms. To a social justice activist it is an act that takes into account the impact of climate change on the indigenous lands and among marginalized communities. To all Americans, including our Congressional representatives, it was a rare example of legislation showing that big things could still be done. And finally, in an era when bi-partisanship is all but dead, to the majority of Americans who are yearning for a more unified country, this is legislation that should have been bi-partisan but was not because of conservative leadership playing to its base. Even worse, many are now taking credit for the many benefits to their local constituents even though they voted no.
Apparently only to the Wall Street Journal, and its editorial board, is the IRA a waste of words better spent promoting negativity and division, and deeming the man who staked part of his legacy on its passage the “lamest horse”.